Quiet Enchantment | Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman

In Macedon, war rises like smoke, forbidden romance blooms and ancient magic tempered with rage threatens to turn an empire to dust.

After winning his first battle, Prince Alexander fights to become the ruler his kingdom demands—but the line between leader and tyrant blurs with each new threat.

Meanwhile, Hephaestion, cast aside by Alexander for killing the wrong man, must conceal the devastating secret of a divine prophecy from Katerina even as the two of them are thrust together on a dangerous mission to Egypt.

The warrior, Jacob, determined to forget his first love, vows to eradicate the ancient Blood Magics and believes that royal prisoner Cynane holds the key to Macedon’s undoing.

And in chains, the Persian princess Zofia still longs to find the Spirit Eaters, but first must grapple with the secrets of her handsome—and deadly—captor.

In Legacy of Kings, the gods have turned a blind eye to all the happenings of ancient times. However, it seems the gods are truly gone. Prince Alex, giving up his search for the fountain of youth for now, has more pressing matters to attend to. He sends his long-lost sister and his possibly-former best friend on a quest to Egypt to acquire the princess of legend to offer his hand in marriage. His mother, on the other hand, is on a quest of her own—trying to unlock the secrets of the whereabouts of the gods. In another epic tale, weaving history to fiction, Eleanor Herman creates magnificence on the page.

Sequel Measured to the First

Just like the first, Herman gives us several storylines simultaneously occurring as each chapter flows into the next. In the beginning—just as it was in Legacy of Kings, the first in the series—the storylines were overwhelming with long names and confusing with each change of the chapter. However, the deeper into the novel you go, you will begin to recognize each storyline, being able to differentiate who is who and what is going on in each.

It was good. With sequels, you will always be comparing the first to the next. And the love I have for Legacy of Kings did not stretch as far to include Empire of Dust. However, as sequels go, it was a good one to measure up to the wild ride of its previous.

It is broken into several acts or parts which I didn’t see as very necessary except to take a break in all the changing storylines. I don’t think Empire of Dust was as action packed as the first.

It was entertaining, an endless slew of epic awesomeness. But it did seem quiet. Whereas Legacy of Kings was a blockbuster, its sequel was seamlessly flowing into each next chapter, a gorgeous dance of tiptoeing feet. The flow did make it go by so fast which makes up for the heavy read the previous posed.

Definite Highlights

I went into Empire of Dust completely blank. I remember, absolutely, nothing of the last book as I devoured it two years before picking the sequel up. I plunged right in and hoped for the best and, happily, it was quite easy to get back into the swing of things.

There’s PIRATES so a super A+ for that. The world needs more pirate books.

Not only were the pirates on point, filled with sword fights and mischief of all sorts, the other action sequences placed you right in the thick of it, getting a front row seat to the scenes.

The writing is truly magnificent. Eleanor Herman definitely knows how to keep you focused and entirely entranced by weaving history’s truth into a work of fiction.

By far the best part is how Herman lets you come to your own conclusions about the plot. She gives you the clues to figure out the answers to your questions before any of the characters themselves figure it out. Instead of too many questions, it is the readers’ answers to “Does he have magic? What is the deal with him? How did she heal like that? Which parent did he get that from?” that make the reading experience so unique.

My favorite storylines were Cyn’s and Zo’s (I couldn’t pick just one). It is strange, however, because I remember disliking their stories so much in the first book.

Unfortunate Ending

You will certainly be hanging on to the very last word, in hopes that if you grip tighter, the next book will come out sooner.

There is a great disadvantage to having so many storylines in the same book. You are never sure when the last chapter of that certain story will be its last. In some cases, Empire of Dust leaves us right in the middle of sequences that were far from finished, when others seemed to have a clear ending.

Overall

Empire of Dust is on a scale of its own, standing tall next to Legacy of Kings. It is certainly another masterpiece of Eleanor Herman’s that will leave you enchanted until the next book releases.

I'm Jeanna!

I love books, coffee, cute planners, blogging, and everything in between. I don't want you to miss out on the fantastic books out there, which is why I talk about books and write reviews. My reviews may include lame jokes and a side of sass, that make you feel like you are sitting down with an good, old friend for coffee. So grab a seat and let's get chatting.